Course Name/Number: EN 102, Intro to Lit.

Instructor: Ms. Von BergenContact Information:

mvonbergen@emmaus.edu

x1303Class Days: MWF 9.20, 2.30 Class Time:

I. EBC Mission StatementThe mission of Emmaus Bible College, as an institution of higher learning, is to glorify God by teaching the Bible and by educating and equipping learners to serve and lead in churches, ministries, communities, and vocations.

II. Course DescriptionThis course introduces students to the study and appreciation of literature. In the first weeks, students will study basic interpretation skills; they will then draw on these skills and master them as we read a variety of literary texts, grouped by similar themes. Literature from each of the four major genres (short stories, poetry, drama and novels) is included. For each text, students will be asked to explain the literary devices and to analyze the theme(s) they find, as well as relate the text and its meaning to everyday human life and relationships. Most importantly, students will develop a thoughtful, biblical response to the literature read, pinpointing any error(s) in the text but also recognizing the truth, and sometimes the presence of Christ, in what we read.

III. Course Outcomes to identify significant literary devices by name in a text to draw on these literary devices to interpret the meaning(s) of a text to articulate this theme or meaning(s); to distinguish between biblical

truth and error in the text to explore the meaning of shared human experiences and emotions in a

variety of literary works to craft a thoughtful, biblical and balanced response to the text and its

themes to appreciate and to enjoy reading literary works

IV. Course Textbooks/BibliographyNorton Introduction to Literature, Portable 10th EditionNovel TBD (I will announce this in class)

Please note, many reading assignments will be posted on the course website. Our course website is English@Emmaus. Its address is emmausenglish.wordpress.com. Select the tab labelled “Intro to Literature,” and choose “Lit Readings” to access the readings.

Students will need a small, flexible binder with pockets to store homework assignments. Students may submit homework not in a binder one time; after that, I will not accept homework that is not submitted in a binder. Homework may

not be submitted in a spiral notebook, on loose-leaf paper, or by email, unless otherwise specified.

V. Course Requirements

Assignments: Students will submit three creative projects this semester. They will also take a test over their ability to define key literary concepts and interpret literature. Finally, because this is a literature course, they will regularly read poems, stories, and a novel, and turn in homework that shows their reading and interpretation of the texts. Directions for each assignment will be provided in class.

Late Policy: I do not accept late homework, period. Students who forget work in their room or who do not complete the assignment may not turn it in later for credit.

Creative projects may be submitted late but will be penalized depending on how late they are. A project which is submitted after class begins but before class time the next day will lose five points. A project which is submitted after class time the next day loses 10 points for each 24 hour period that it is late. A project which is submitted more than seven days late will receive a zero.

Students who know in advance that they’re going to be gone should make arrangements with me before they leave, either to turn their work in before they leave or immediately upon their return. Students who are gone unexpectedly should talk to me when they get back to class about how they can make up missed work for credit; I will give extensions for serious family or health emergenies, but not for mild colds and the like.

Students also have a one free late project, meaning they may submit either of the first two creative projects up to 24 hours late without penalty. Students must notify me in advance of class that they intend to use their free late project; after that point, projects will be counted late as usual.

Students are 100% responsible for anything – handouts, lecture notes, assignments – that they miss while they are gone. I do not provide these automatically to students who miss class.

Revision Policy: Students may revise either of the first two projects for a higher grade. The revision will automatically be due one week from the day on which I return projects. A project will need to improve significantly to receive a better grade; students will not get a better grade. Revisions cannot receive a lower grade except in cases of plagiarism; a new revision grade will completely replace the original grade.

Contact Policy: I will use email to communicate important information to students. Students are 100% responsible for anything received via email and should check email regularly, at least once per day.

Assignments:

All assignments should be completed and turned in on time.  Because of the importance of timeliness in the professional world, grade deductions may be taken on any work not submitted on time. Please submit work on the due date

before the start of class. Work that is finished during class will be considered late.

Excellence in writing is another way to show your professionalism.  Assignments submitted should evidence significant investment of time, thought, and effort. Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation should be demonstrated on all assignments.

VI. Grading Scale

Introduction to Literature is graded on a total-points system, meaning that students earn points based on their performance on each assignment; at the end of the course, the total number of points earned is divided by the number of points available in order to determine the grade. In this course there are 500 points available.

Project #1 & Project #2 100 points/each (200 points total) Final Project 125 points Daily homework* 5 points/each (75 points total) Homework for novel** 10 points/each (50 points total) Test 50 points

**My estimate is that students will complete between 15-17 homework assignments this semester, not counting work on the novel. This is roughly one for every poem or story we read prior to starting the novel. I have budgeted 75 points for daily homework assignments; any homework completed beyond the required 15 counts as extra credit, at the rate of 2.5 points/homework assignments.

**The homework for the novel will be slightly more rigorous and is therefore worth more than the daily homework assigned during the first half of the semester. Students should plan on having five total homework assignments for the novel.

Students’ grades will then be determined using the following scale:

Grade Grade Points Percentages

A+ 4.3 99-100%A 4.0 93-98%A- 3.7 90-92%B+ 3.3 87-89%B 3.0 83-86%B- 2.7 80-82%C+ 2.3 77-79%C 2.0 73-76%C- 1.7 70-72%D+ 1.3 67-69%D 1.0 65-66%F 0 0-64%

For instance, a student who receives 400 points out of 500 has received 80%, or a B-.

VII. Course Schedule

Your major tests & projects will be due on the following days:

January 29: Fundamentals of Literary Interpretation Test

February 24: Creative Project #1 due in class

April 3: Creative Project #2 due in class

May 5: Creative Project #3 due

A more detiled schedule will be provided in class. .

VIII.  Attendance

Attendance is required in all classes. Students unable to attend for any reason are expected to communicate with instructors in person, by email or by phone message prior to the absence. Students are responsible for keeping record of all absences.

The college recognizes two types of absence – personal and administrative. Personal absences are intended for personal issues such as illness, family events or challenges, emergencies, etc. Administrative absences are approved, college-initiated absences such as sporting events, field trips, recruitment trips, etc. The number of personal and/or administrative absences allowed without penalty is noted in the chart below.

Classes PersonalAbsences

Administrative Absences

TotalAbsences

Mon./Wed./Fri. 3 6 12Tues./Thurs. 2 4 8Once a Week 1 2 4

Personal absences that exceed the number noted above may result in reductions of a final course grade by 2% per class hour (2% for a 50 minute class, 3% for a 75 minute class, 6% for a 150 minute class). This may result in failure of the course. Students consistently arriving late, leaving early, or sleeping in class may also have final grades reduced as determined by the instructor.Administrative absences that exceed the number noted above will be counted as personal absences. Athletes, especially those playing more than one sport, are encouraged to save personal absences to be used in addition to administrative absences for away games.Students whose absences exceed the total absences noted above will fail the course.Students are accountable for all missed work due to absence. If absence occurs on days when exams are given or other assignments are due, work may be made up in the case of administrative absences or at the discretion of the instructor.

IX. Federal Credit Hour Guidelines

The U.S. federal government provides specific guidelines for the awarding of college credit. The federal definition of a credit hour is as follows:

(1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or

(2) At least an equivalent amount of work as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

X. Academic Integrity

Emmaus Bible College expects students to complete all academic work with integrity. Students are responsible to complete all of their own work. Dishonesty in the completion of assignments, papers, presentations, examinations or any other academic work is contrary to Biblical principles of Christian living and is unacceptable at Emmaus.

Plagiarism is the deliberate presentation of another person’s ideas or words as your own, or the failure (intentional or unintentional) to cite the source of your ideas. Below are some examples of plagiarism: 

1. The words, sentences, ideas, conclusions, examples, and/or organization of an assignment are borrowed from a source (a book, an article, another student’s paper, tapes, etc.) without acknowledging the source.

2. A student submits work done by another student—in part or whole—in place of his or her own work.

3. A student submits assignments received from commercial firms or any other person or group. 

4. A student knowingly aids another student in plagiarizing an assignment as defined above.

Other violations of academic integrity include unauthorized collaboration, violation of the conditions under which the work is to be done, fabrication of data, and excessive revision by someone other than the student.

 Cheating, plagiarism, or other violations of academic integrity will result in academic penalty, which may include failure of the assignment, exam, or paper, failure of the course, and further disciplinary action brought by the Student Development Committee. The Vice Presidents/Deans for Academic Affairs and Student Development will be notified.

XI. Classroom Culture/Technology Usage

Because hearing each voice is important, please be a respectful and active participant in class. No class member should dominate the discussion or remain completely disengaged.  Refrain from carrying on private conversations during class.

Use of laptops, tablets and other electronic devices brought to class should be limited to note taking and work relevant to current class activities and discussions.

In addition to being a distraction, text messaging, checking voice mail and vibrating phones, communicates that your attention and focus is elsewhere. So that you and others can be fully engaged in class activities, please turn cell phones completely off while in class. 

Professors reserve the right to prohibit use of technology in classes as they deem appropriate.

XII. Disability Services

Emmaus Bible College seeks to ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities receive equal access to all college services, activities, facilities, and privileges.  Disabilities may include specific learning disabilities, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, visual impairments, deaf and hard of hearing, acquired brain injury, physical and functional disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and other disabilities specifically diagnosed by licensed professionals.

Reasonable academic accommodations will be made on an individual basis by application (available on the Emmaus website).  Accommodations may include services such as extended time for testing, reader for exams, semi-private room for exams, larger-sized course materials, permission to record lectures, audio books, tutors, and other appropriate strategies.  

Students who have documented disabilities that might affect their academic performance at Emmaus and require accommodations or other services should contact the Vice President for Academic Affairs at lbeatty@emmaus.edu to discuss possible accommodations.

All documentation of disabilities is considered personal health information, and thus, falls under the privacy protection of HIPPA.  Disabilities are not considered during the admission process at Emmaus, and no disability information will appear on transcripts or other documents (other than health records).

XIII. Emmaus Library Resources

You can access the EBC library catalog and journal articles on the library pages through the Emmaus Navigator.  Our library can provide you with virtually anything you need for research, including books and articles not available on site.  Our helpful librarians, John Rush and Beth Young, are glad to assist you throughout the research process and are available to answer your questions about the library and its resources.