Course Syllabus
Phone – (626)799-9121 x252; Email – denise.levenick@mayfieldsenior.org
Class Web Page – www.mayfieldsenior.org/~denise.levenick/puritan
Course Description
The shores of North America were settled up and down the Atlantic seaboard, but New England was the first hub of colonial literature, commerce, and government. Two centuries later, descendents of the early colonists were still fermenting independent thinking. This course will examine the relationship between works written during the colonial period and those penned at the height of early 19th century romanticism and transcendentalism. We will explore the way in which the passion of one group, the Puritans, rippled across time to influence New England writers of the American Renaissance.
Course Objectiv es
- To examine the literature of New England Puritans, Romantics, and Transcendentalists
- To develop skills in close reading, and oral and written analysis
- To practice research techniques suitable for upper-level study
- To gain confidence in literary analysis and discussion
- Norton Anthology of American Literature, Sixth Edition
- Writing the Modern Research Paper, 2 Edition, Dees
- College Dictionary and Thesaurus. If purchasing new volumes, please look for college editions.
- OnLine Readings not included in our anthology will be available via the internet though the Course Calendar on the Class Web Site.
- Email Access is required of all students. We will use email for communication, discussion, and assignments.
- Library Card for the Pasadena Public Library and/or Los Angeles Public Library. We will use the online library database for our research paper.
Assignments for the semester include readings as listed on the Course Calendar, weekly writing, essays, research paper, quizzes, tests, and final exam.
Quarter and Semester Grades will be determined by percentages: approximately 33% Weekly Writing; 33% Essays; 33% Quizzes, Tests, Daily Grade.
Grading will follow the percentages listed in the Mayfield Student Handbook. A Final Exam will be given at the end of the semester; semester grades will be determined on the basis of 40% from each quarter and 20% from the final exam. Detailed information on assignments will be found on the Assignment Page.
Course Requirements
- Read assigned text BEFORE class. The course calendar lists the date readings are due.
- Attend class. Keep absences to a minimum; it is difficult to make up missed classes.
- Contribute to class discussion.
- Keep up with assignments. Turn in all daily/weekly work on time.
- Check your email regularly.
- Prepare for quizzes and exams.
- TALK TO ME if you have questions or concerns. I can’t help you if I don’t know what is unclear/overwhelming/completely mystifying.
- Classroom Policies
- The success of this class depends largely on interaction. I can present material to you, but it is your responsibility to think about the material, turn it, twist it, and try to make something of it. Plan on participating at many levels.
- Respect your fellow students. Listen to others; raise your hand to be called on before speaking. Do not monopolize discussion time with "I agree with" type comments. Add to the conversation; say something new.
- The Daily Grade includes everything we do on a daily basis, from pop quizzes to short writings to discussion. If you are absent from class, you will be unable to earn a participation mark for the day. If you are late, you will be unable to make up anything you may have missed. Tardiness is disruptive and will affect the daily Daily Grade.
- Please come to class prepared. All work is due at the beginning of the period. Assemble and staple papers BEFORE class. If you do not own a stapler, find one on campus you can use before class.
- Use the drinking fountain and restroom before class. Do not bring food or beverages into the classroom; you may bring water.
- Late Assignments will be accepted only with prior consent and will incur a late penalty. Talk to me about any difficulties with deadlines; I am very reasonable about extensions for school activities. In the event of family emergency or illness that unavoidably impacts assignments, please bring a note from a parent. Email is also useful for last minute communication.
- Cheating and plagiarism are serious breaches of academic integrity at Mayfield and at all colleges. Students found cheating on any quiz or exam will automatically receive zero points and a referral to the Academic Dean for disciplinary action. This includes outright copying from another student’s paper, using previous tests, cheat-sheets, etc.
- Plagiarism is also a serious affront to scholarship, whether it includes changing a few words or examples in a paper written by someone else, adapting or summarizing other work without attributing sources, or outright copying of another student’s work to submit as your own.
- Each student must take responsibility for the integrity of her own work. If you “loan” your homework or essay you cannot know that your work will not be copied, adapted, or summarized; this is no less serious than sharing answers during an exam. DO NOT “loan” your work, even to a friend asking to “borrow” it “just for ideas;” you can NEVER be sure that parts of your paper will not be used in someone else’s essay. In this event, both the plagiarist and the original author could receive a zero for their work. Protect your academic work; don’t give in to the pressure to “help out” a “friend” who hasn’t done her own work by sharing yours and then trying to pretend that you “didn’t know” your work would be copied. It is naïve to assume that your friend “would never do that,” and much easier for everyone if the standard policy is to remove the temptation by declining to loan work.