Calendar of Activities
Eng 267: The Modern Novel
Dr. Agatha Taormina |
Below, in a format suitable for printing, is the information contained in the pages from each week of the Calendar of Activities for English 267. For convenience and to shorten the print-out, I have grouped some recurring activities and instructions at the top of this page.
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Key Urls |
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Email the Instructor |
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| General Activities and Instructions |
- Every week check your VCCS email and the course Blackboard for announcements and information from your instructor.
- Every time you submit an exam or an essay, please email me at ataormina@nvcc.edu to inform me that you have submitted the assignment.
- Review the expectations for Blackboard postings below before you submit a posting.
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| Expectations for Postings |
A posting that receives full credit will meet the following criteria:
- at least 250-300 words of analysis and discussion devoted to the assigned novel
- content that demonstrates that you have read the novel thoughtfully and are able to make comments that go beyond an understanding of plot to grapple with at least one of the following elements of fiction
- quality of characterization
- presentation of setting
- significance of point of view
- development of theme
- comparison to other works with similar plots and themes
- format in standard English prose
I suggest that you compose your posting in a word processor, edit and proofread your posting, then copy and paste it into the Blackboard Forum message box.
One way to approach the postings is to begin by describing your reaction to the novel:
- did you like or dislike the novel and why?
- how do you feel about the major characters in the novel?
- why do you think the author told the story in this particular way?
You might also want to use the questions for discussion in the reading guide to each novel to help you develop your posting.
Please feel free to respond to the postings of the instructor and other students. |
| Procedures for Writing and Submitting Formal Essays |
- Before you write a formal essay, review
the following information on how to write about literature:
- Before you write a formal essay, if
you wish, compose a thesis statement and outline for your essay and post
it to the relevant Activities Forum for my comments and response. There is an Activities forum for each formal essay topic.
- When you write your essay, please copy and paste the activity
you have chosen to write about.
- When you write your essay, let the paper sit
for a day or two. Then edit and proofread your paper. Be sure that you
have responded to the activity you have chosen and included and documented
specific references to the texts you are writing about. Be sure to follow
MLA Style and include a Works Cited page.
- When you save your essay file, be sure to save
this file in either an .rtf (rich text format) or .doc (Microsoft Word)
format.
- When
you are satisfied with your paper, log in to Blackboard and complete
the following procedure:
- Choose Communication from the buttons on the left.
- Choose Group
Pages.
- Choose the relevant Group.
- Click on the File Exchange button.
- Click on the Add File button; the File Information page will appear.
- Type your name
in the Title text box.
- Click on Browse.
- Navigate to the
location of your activity essay file on your computer. Highlight the
file, then click on Open. The file name will appear
in the text box.
- Click on the Submit button to send the file to the File Exchange.
- Email
me at ataormina@nvcc.edu to notify that you have submitted your Mad Scientist Activity
Essay.
- Allow at least a
week after you notify me for me to grade the paper. When I have read
and evaluated your paper, I will post my reply to the main Digital
Drop Box where you will be able to retrieve it. Only you will be
able to see and retrieve your paper.
Reminders:
- Papers must be
written in clear, concise, standard English prose and be free of grammatical
and mechanical errors.
- Papers must use
MLA style to document citations from both the primary work and any
secondary sources you might use.
- At my discretion I may allow you to revise or rewrite one essay for a better grade.
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| Week 1 |
Objectives:
- To get an overview of the course and course requirements
- To contact the instructor
- To introduce yourself to your classmates and describe the nature of your interest in this course
- To define the novel as a genre
- To learn the history of the novel
Activities
- Return
to Course Information at http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/eng267c/courseinfo/default.htm and
read carefully through the material in the Syllabus and Assignments links.
- I recommend that you go to Print Syllabus at http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/eng267c/courseinfo/printsyl.htm and Print Assignments at http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/eng267c/courseinfo/printassign.htm and print out these two documents for easy reference.
- Read Getting Started Online at http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart/ to learn
how to access your VCCS email account.
- Using
your VCCS email account, send an introductory email to me
at ataormina@nvcc.edu.
In this email, include the following information:
1) General
information
- this course number
(Eng 267)
- your name
- your nickname if you would like me to use it
- your mailing
address
- your home telephone
number
- your VCCS email
address
- an alternate
email address if you have one and use it regularly
2) Course
Information (as listed in the Quick Syllabus you received from ELI in
the mail):
- your Start
Date
- your Last
Date for Withdrawal
- your End of
Enrollment Date
3) A brief
introduction of yourself, describing your background and your reasons
for taking this course
4) A brief
description of any previous college-level literature courses you have
taken
5) Any initial
questions you have about course procedures
NOTE: Once
you have sent me your introductory email message, I assume that you
have read and understood the course requirements and also that you have
read and understood ELI
Policies and Procedures at http://eli.nvcc.edu/elipps.htm
- Read the Blackboard Guide at http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/eng267c/support/bbguide.htm Then log in to Blackboard and navigate to the course site: Eng 267: The Modern Novel
- In Blackboard, select Discussion
Board. Post a new thread in the Introductions Forum.
In your message, introduce yourself to your classmates. Include in this
introduction a little bit about your background also some details about some of your favorite authors and novels.
- History of the Novel. Read the following material from the Novels web site:
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| Week 2 |
Objectives:
- To learn how to approach the critical and analytical reading of a novel
- To understand the nature of plot in the novel
- To understand the nature of character in the novel
- To demonstrate your ability to communicate your knowledge of the nature of the novel
- To communicate your background in reading novels
Activities
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Read the following material from the Novels web site:
- Review
the question in Exam #1 at http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/eng267c/courseinfo/assign.htm#exam1
- Prepare
for Exam #1. To prepare to answer
this question, you may prepare notes and an outline and bring these
with you when you take the exam. However, you will leave all of your
notes with the Testing Center proctor who will forward them to me.
- Take Exam #1.
You will be writing your exam in Microsoft Word, and then pasting it into a password-protected Text Box in the Exams section of the Eng 267 Blackboard. Please follow the directions on the Exam Pass to properly post your exam.
- Email me at ataormina@nvcc.edu to notify that you have taken Exam #1. You will be able to pick up your exam in the Digital Drop Box in the Blackboard within one week of notifying me that you have completed your exam.
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| Week 3 |
Objectives:
- To understand the use of point of view in the novel
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Salman Rushdie
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Activities
- Read the following material on the Novels web site:
- Read Haroun and the Sea of Stories
- Review the Expectations for Postings above
- In Blackboard select the Discussion Board. Select a new thread in the Haroun Forum and post your thoughtful response to the novel.
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| Week 4 |
Objectives:
- To understand the use of setting in the novel
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Michael Ondaatje
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of The English Patient
Activities
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| Week 5 |
Objectives:
- To understand the nature of theme in the novel
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Alan Lightman
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of Einstein's Dreams
Activities
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| Week 6 |
Objectives:
- To understand the nature of magical realism
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Gabriel García Márquez
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Activities
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| Week 7 |
Objectives:
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Ian McEwan
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of Atonement
Activities
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| Week 8 |
Objectives:
- To demonstrate your understanding of the nature of the novel by analyzing and/or comparing aspects of some of the novels you have read in this class
Activities
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| Week 9 |
Objectives:
- To understand the nature of metafiction
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Tim O'Brien
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of The Things They Carried
Activities
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| Week 10 |
Objectives:
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Jasper Fforde
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of The Eyre Affair
Activities
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Week 11 |
Objectives:
- To understand the nature of the graphic novel
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Art Spiegelman
- To read Maus I
Activities
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Week 12 |
Objectives:
- To read Maus II
- To demonstrate your understanding of Maus I and Maus II
Activities
- Read Maus II.
- Review the Expectations for Postings above.
- In Blackboard select the Discussion Board. Select a new thread in the Maus Forum and post your thoughtful response to the novel.
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| Week 13 |
Objectives:
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Paul Hornschemeier
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of Mother, Come Home
Activities
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| Week 14 |
Objectives:
- To familiarize yourself with the background of Posy Simmonds
- To read and demonstrate your understanding of Gemma Bovery
Activities
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| Week 15 |
Objectives:
- To demonstrate your understanding of the nature of the novel by analyzing and/or comparing aspects of some of the novels you have read in this class
Activities
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| Week 16 |
Objectives:
- To apply the knowledge you have gained in this course to an analysis of the novels you have read.
Activities
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| Congratulations! You have finished the course! |