Advanced Research and Literary Analysis Syllabus
Course Description
Emphasizes literature-based expository and research writing. Requires analytical essays including explication, literary analysis, interpretation, and a research paper.
Course Goals
The course goals for English 314 include helping students:
- Develop and demonstrate critical reading and thinking skills that involve the analysis of primary and secondary skills.
- Develop and demonstrate the ability to write a researched and documented argument.
Course Architecture
This course is organized into three modules, Formalist Literary Analysis (FLA), Theory-based Analysis (TBA), and Research Analysis (Research). The Course Introduction will help orient you to the course and give you time to practice using I-Learn. Lessons 1-4 are FLA, Lessons 4-8 are TBA and Lessons 8-12 are Research. Course Conclusion has culminating activities and projects.
In an online course, regular and sustained attention is critical. Be attentive to the deadlines, reading assignments, and course activities.
This is an upper-division writing class and will require a significant amount of work. You will spend a minimum of nine hours per week. Even though this course is an online course, it is not an independent study course. You will be expected to interact with classmates in order to teach one another about what you are learning. You will be involved in collaborative projects, which means others depend on the completion of your work. Please plan your semester schedule accordingly.
The course is designed to help you slowly build up a knowledge base of ideas and skills. Not all of these ideas and skills will come easily. It takes a lot of work and practice before some things will even start to make sense, so don’t be surprised if it takes you a little time to comprehend these ideas. Just be patient. As you approach the end of the course the ideas will come together and you will see progress. You will be glad you persisted in your efforts. As you thoughtfully prepare, teach one another, ponder/prove and as you humbly seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will bless you with a greater knowledge of His mercy and love, and you will receive an increased testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Weeks
- Weeks start on Monday
- You are allowed to work ahead
- Lessons end on Saturday at 11:00 p.m. Mountain Time (MT). Be sure to check what time that is for your local time zone.
- Each week has 3 due dates:
- Tuesday at 11 pm (Due Date #1), Thursday at 11 pm (Due Date #2), and Saturday at 11 pm (Due Date #3)
Assignments
- Formalist Literary Analysis: Write a 4-6 page essay, analyzing a poem using formalist literary theory. (100 points)
- Theory-based Literary Analysis Essay: Write a 4-6 page essay analyzing a short story using a literary theory. (100 points)
- Research Analysis: Write 10-12 page persuasive essay analyzing a novel using a minimum of 10 scholarly sources. (200 points)
- Scholarly Journal Project: Submit articles to various journals, serve on editorial boards, provide feedback to submitting writers, and publish a scholarly journal. (400 points total, various assignments)
- Miscellaneous Assignments/Quizzes: Complete several small assignments and quizzes throughout the semester. (Variable points)
Expectations
Basic expectations for college-level papers include a fundamental competency in the mechanics of writing and MLA formatting. No paper will earn higher than a B- with the following errors:
- Misspelled words
- The MLA errors listed below. Use the MLA Handbook to correct these and other errors.
- Incorrect format including font, first page layout, and header
- Incorrect punctuation of parenthetical citations
- Incorrect placement of punctuation in connection to the quotation marks
- Titles of texts formatted incorrectly
- Incorrect Antecedent/Pronoun agreement:
- Incorrect: A person must be careful when they select a pronoun (Singular noun but plural pronoun)
Required Texts
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- Barnet, Sylvan and William E. Cain. A Short Guide to Writing about Literature. (12th Edition) Boston: Pearson, 2012.
- Bressler, Charles. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. (5th Edition). Longman. OR Bressler, Charles. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. (4th Edition). Prentice Hall.
- Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. (7th Edition) New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003
- Additional readings provided on I-Learn
Optional Text
- Booth, Wayne and Colomb, Gregory. The Craft of Research. (3rd Edition) Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
Final Grade Breakdown
The following is the grade scale that will be used in calculating your final grade
Letter Grade | Percentage Range |
---|---|
A | 100% – 94% |
A- | 93% – 90% |
B+ | 89% – 87% |
B | 86% – 84% |
B- | 83% – 80% |
C+ | 79% – 77% |
C | 76% – 74% |
C- | 73% – 70% |
D+ | 69% – 67% |
D | 66% – 64% |
D- | 63% – 60% |
F | 59% – 00% |
You will critique your classmates’ work and provide revision feedback as well as assessment ratings that will be incorporated into grades. The instructor will also assess all formal assignments and offer comments and suggestions.Late Work Policy Assignments are due on the day indicated. Work that is late hampers your ability to fully participate in the course and will be accepted only at your instructor’s discretion. Inform your instructor before the assignment is due if you will be late on an assignment. Quizzes, discussion boards, draft submissions, and other preparation assignments cannot be made up. Any late work that is accepted is subject to a penalty as determined by your instructor. Final drafts of the three major papers may be submitted late with the following penalty:
- 15% deducted if submitted 24 hours after deadline
- an additional 10% deducted for every additional 24 hours
Academic Honesty
“BYU-Idaho students should seek to be totally honest in all their dealings. They should complete their own work and be evaluated for that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.” (BYU-Idaho Catalog 2007-2008, pp. 44. See catalog for full discussion of Academic Dishonesty, pp. 44-45). This course will adhere to procedures for handling incidents of academic dishonesty found in the BYU-Idaho Catalog, 2004-2005, pp. 51-52
Students with Disabilities
Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disabilities, which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Disabilities Services Office, (208) 496-1158. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by this office. It is the student’s responsibility to disclose to their teacher any special need she/he may have before the end of the first week of class. If you need assistance of if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against based on your disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Human Resources Office at (208) 496-1130.
Disclaimer
The instructor reserves the right to adapt any part of this syllabus any time during the semester. You will be notified prior to any changes.