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ENGL 197 - Fall 2005,  Rita Raley


  • Online readings are all reachable from our class webpage. Much of the online reading will require a computer that has programs and plug-ins such as QuickTime, Flash, Shockwave, java, and Real Audio (all free and easy to install; you will generally be prompted if you need to download). Note that some of the works will not be cross-platform and some will only work with one or two browsers. If you are working on an older computer and a modem line at home, I recommend you visit our Transcriptions studio in the English department, or one of the computer labs such as Phelps, for the bulk of your reading.

  • Note that the "recommended readings" sections will develop throughout the quarter. At times they will be quite extensive: these mini-bibliographies will provide context for some of the primary readings, lectures, and class discussion. The general equivalent in print culture would be the headnote in an anthology. Some of the links will be used as illustrations in lecture and will appear in our "class notes" sub-pages.

  • As you work on the assignments for this course, you should be particularly mindful of plagiarism and copyright violation. Every external source that you use must be appropriately cited in your work. For your web projects, a link to the original site is the bare minimum for citation. If you are in doubt about whether or not you need citations, you might consult a CLAS tutor or this online guide. Note that UCSB has explicit policies about academic integrity.

  • All assignments for this course must be completed in order to receive a passing grade. There will be no incompletes.


Participation & Presentation
Weight: 30% of final grade


Guidelines for participation and attendance:

- Seminars include lecture and student participation but place an emphasis on participation. You should thus come to class prepared to answer general and detailed questions about the texts on the syllabus. Some of the ideas and concepts addressed in the course will be especially challenging, and I do not expect you to comprehend every text equally or to grasp all of the arguments right away, but I do expect you to invest time and energy into the reading. Participation thus involves both general attentiveness and active contribution to our discussions.
- As part of your class participation, one substantive email message to the class listserv will be required. This can be in response to one of my messages, a response to the reading, or a response to a topic discussed in class. This forum should allow you to engage with the other members of the class and pursue discussion topics that spring from our regular class sessions. (We can discuss the rationale for using a listserv instead of a wiki or UBB in class.) Our listserv address is < engl197@english.ucsb.edu>.
- More than two unexcused absences will significantly and adversely affect your final grade.

Guidelines for presentations:
- Each member of the seminar will be responsible for a brief, 10-minute presentation, which will involve outlining a discussion topic and a set of questions for the class. Presentations might ideally begin with a passage that you use as a springboard for analysis of the text. You are welcome and even strongly encouraged to come talk to me about your presentation beforehand. One copy of the questions will be due to me at least 24 hours before the scheduled presentation.

 

Short paper
Weight: 20% of final grade
Due: Monday, October 31

Questions and topics to be assigned

 

Final paper/project
Weight: 50% of final grade
Due: Friday, December 9

For the final course project, all students will compose a paper that is placed online at the end of the quarter with supporting material such as links and bibliographies. This project will allow you to demonstrate the extent and quality of your engagement with the material and issues covered in this course. You should all determine your own topics, but you should do so in consultation with me. Part of the planning for this paper will also be outlined in a brief abstract, which is required and due in mid-November.

The Transcriptions TA for Fall 2005 is Kimberly Knight. She will hold regular lab hours and offer a workshop in web authoring and publishing on Wednesday, October 26 during class. Instructional Computing also offers free workshops in Flash, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop; see their schedule for further information. For the basics of UWeb training see the Transcriptions' "UWeb Publishing Basics."

 

 

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