Fall 2007
Contemporary American Studies
“All my life I had been looking for
something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I
accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even
self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking
everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me
a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a
realization everyone else appears to have been born with: That I am nobody but
myself.”-Invisible Man
“I imagine that right
now you're feeling a bit like
This course is a collection of images from the last century—novels, plays, films, poetry, music, articles—LITERATURE—materials that meant something to someone at some point and in most cases still do mean many things to many people. The stakes are high, this is not for the faint of heart. We’ll deal with all the big issues: war, death, life, religion, God, love, sex, time, fiction, reality, just to name a few. The beat is hard and the words come fast, a literary rap of sorts, loud, soulful, and sometimes subversive. The thing with rap, though, is that it moves fast, too fast at times, and if you lose the rhythm, it’s hard to catch up. The key is to remember that even if you don’t know every word, you need to hear every word, and then perhaps you can still get the artist’s intended effect, almost in full. It’s not one single word that’s important, but the whole song, the whole rap, the whole picture that says something. So get ready to come every day prepared to think, to be pushed, to battle—there are no off days with this type of literature. In the end, if you give your time to this course, you will leave it more aware, more in touch, smarter even, than most of your peers. To start with, learn how to free your mind.
A story. From Tuesdays
with Morrie:
Okay.
The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand
old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air—until he notices the other
waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
“My
God this is terrible,” the wave says. “Look what’s going to happen to me!”
Then
along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to
him, “Why do you look so sad?”
The
first wave says, “You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us
waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?”
The
second wave says, “No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of
the ocean.”
“Good luck exploring
the infinite abyss”-
Contact Information:
Secondary Email (use only if QAS server is down): dtmariner25@yahoo.com
IM Screen Name (for cyber days): MrMontgomery25
Course Website: http://paws.queenanne.org/montgomery
Class Rules:
· Tests, Essays & Other Major Assignments – 60%
· Quizzes & Short In-Class Writing Assignments – 20%
· Homework – 20%
·
Class
Participation – Special
Policy Initial
Ø ALL assignments MUST be typed, unless otherwise specified ______
Ø The following font and paragraph settings are
mandatory for all work turned in for this class:
§ Double-spaced
§ 12 point font
§ Times New Roman font
§ 1-inch margins all around the text (left, right, top, bottom).
Ø Except for page number which maintains
a ½-inch margin with the top of the page. ______
Ø ALL assignments are due at the beginning
of class on the day assigned ______
§ Work turned in up to one day late will receive a grade of 50
§ After that, a “0” will be given
§ Students receiving a 50 on a late Major Assignment
will be given the opportunity to rewrite that essay and
improve their grade ______
Ø
Homework
will be graded on a Check, Check Plus, Check Minus,
or “0” (no credit) scale.
§
No
late homework will be accepted ______
·
Class Participation - Special
o At the end of every Quarter, I will either 0, 1, or 2 points to the Overall grade of every student in the class. Points will be awarded as follows:
§
0 Points:
· Student puts forth no effort to contribute in class, or makes statements that typically detract from discussions.
§
1 Point:
· Student contributes occasionally to class discussions, or shows great interest in contributing, but has trouble staying on topic or contributing consistently
§
2 Points:
· Student consistently adds to class discussions in an insightful and respectful manner.
Special
Assignment
Guidelines
& Policies
Policy Initial
· Test Policies
Ø Students may only use the bathroom BEFORE or AFTER tests.
If a student needs to use the restroom during a test period, they will
be required to turn their test in. I will consider their test completed
at that time ______
· Make-up Policies
Ø For each FULL DAY that a student is absent from school, they will
receive a day to make-up their tests, quizzes, and assignments. ______
Ø If a student’s First Full Day Absence is the same as the day an
assignment is
due, that assignment must be turned in the FIRST
Day the Student Returns. ______
Ø If a student does not come to me to discuss when they will make-up
tests, quizzes, and assignments on the day they return to school,
they may face either of the following repercussions:
§ Loss of between 25-50% of their grade
§ Forfeiture of their ability to make-up the grade ______
Ø
Students
who are absent from my class, but who are not out for the
full day will be required to make-up their Test or Quiz, or turn in their
Assignment, on the SAME DAY.
· Homework Policies
Ø All Homework Assignment will be posted online.
§ BE AWARE: If there is a discrepancy between what is posted
online and what is specifically stated in class, my class-time
instructions will take precedence. ______
Ø ALL assignments turned in MUST be in the form of hard copies
§ I will not accept flash drives, emails, etc, during class hours ______
· Special Policies
Ø I accept no responsibility for computer errors. Students
emailing me homework are taking a risk
and should be
aware of that fact
§ Any “Emergency” situations that force a student to email an
assignment to me will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
HOWEVER, I will NOT be responsible for any lost or
corrupted files. If I can not open a file, or something happens
to the file in the process of my opening it, it will be considered
LATE ______
Ø FOR ALL ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS:
Ø DO NOT use Headers in my class.
§ The only place your name should appear
is on the BACK of the last page.
below it - your class, below that - my name, and
below that - the date.
the student. Placing your name on the back of the last sheet helps
me to fulfill this promise. ______
Ø Exception
to the Late Policy:
Should circumstances beyond a students control prevent him/her from
turning in an assignment on time, they will be allowed 1 extra day. Each
student will be allowed this exception a maximum of ONCE each SEMESTER.
NO other allowances will be made for late work.
______
I have read the syllabus and understand all that is included therein.
________________________________________
Student Name
________________________________________
Student Signature