HONP 101 (Great Books/Ideas II): Making Modern Worlds

From the British Library exhibition on Science Fiction Feminisms

• Margaret Cavendish, The Blazing World and Other Writings (Penguin, 0140433724)
• J. W. von Goethe, Sufferings of Young Werther (trans. Steinhauer, Norton, 039309880)
• J. W. von Goethe, Faust (Trans. W. Arndt, Norton: 978-0-393-97282-5)
• J. J. Rousseau, Confessions (trans. A. Scholar, Oxford, 9780192822758)
• F. Voltaire, Candide, or Optimism (trans. R. M. Adams, Norton, 9780393960587)

• Francis Bacon, New Atlantis
• C. Hamlin, "Faust in Performance" (theater review of Faust I and II)
• Supplemental readings for Research Synopsis assignment

#2: Participation (10%): Incl. regular attendance, contribution to class discussion, discussion questions, peer review, in-class and online writing assignments that occur in a timely manner.

• Attendance policy: Students must attend a majority of class sessions in order to pass the class; long-term and repeated absences are unacceptable. Your first 3 absences are automatically excused and need no explanation please. Beyond that, you will need a note from your physician or the Dean of Students in order to excuse an absence for medical reasons or family death. Attendance is a part of your Participation Grade, which is also determined by your active and enthusiastic participation in class discussions; original and thought-provoking discussion questions; and informal writing assignments. Please make a friend in class to cover material missed while absent.

• For our online class meetings, you must complete all assigned online activities in order for your attendance to count. I'll make recordings of our Blackboard Collaborate sessions, and if you miss one, you can listen/watch to the discussion; doing so will not, however, count as attendance or participation. Asynchronous classes will be graded, an evaluation that will go into consideration of the final Participation Grade. In order to keep students moving forward, they may not make up a missed online class by doing online tasks at a later date; these tasks have a time limit. 

• Discussion questions (called DQ below) must be ORIGINAL and include either ones you would pose as an instructor of the class, things you are confused about in the reading, or a mix between the two. The purpose of discussion questions is to open a dialogue between you and me; to make this a student-centered classroom; and to help students become better writers by becoming critical thinkers, or people who question what they read. Discussion questions are not mandatory, but are taken into consideration for your Participation Grade; I'll give an evaluation (check/check plus) to encourage your thinking, but in general, they can only help your Participation Grade. Please bring a copy of your discussion questions to class so that you can reference them in discussion. Please feel free to respond to other students' queries if you feel inspired to answer; I will take such responses as extra credit for your Participation Grade (and enjoy reading them, of course). You may print out and re-present your Discussion Questions in an optional Participation Packet at the end of the semester if you'd like to remind me of your hard work.

#3: Portfolio of Close Analyses (CA): (critical intro., 3-4 originals + at least 1 revision that highlights your editing skills, and all original analyses with my comments on them)--25%: Please access the assignment on this page: http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/101-ca.html

• Turn off and put away cell phones, blackberries, and related electronics. Absolutely NO TEXTING or talking on handheld devices ANYTIME in class, including breaks and before class. Laptops should be used to write lecture notes only (not IM'ing, Facebook, etc.).
  
• Papers should be no longer or shorter than the length assigned and should be submitted on time as stapled hard copies (no cover pages, loose pages, or folders please).  Double space and use twelve-point type, in Times New Roman or CG Times (or 10 pt. in Veranda, etc.). 2 points are deducted from formal writing projects for every class day they are late. 
• To teach students to avoid plagiarism, lectures will also include instruction in MLA documentation of all work. This course engages in questions of authorship, including web authorship (http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/web.html) and e-books. Submitting work and words that are not your own will result in failing this course and disciplinary action by the Dean of Students. You can see my entire FAQ on plagiarism here: http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/citation.html
  
• Accommodations are always arranged for students with documented disabilities. Please call, email, or see the instructor personally, as well as Services for Students with Disabilities (Linda A. Smith in Morehead Hall 305, X5431).
• Please note that I do not discuss grades via email. In office hours, however, I can offer time and attention to your concerns.